Lore of Prodia's Magic
Magic is a form of energy. When the Universe came into existence eons ago, magic was created along with everything else. It is simply just another state that energy can be in. Magical energy, though, can be manipulated and changed much more freely and fluidly than other forms of energy: It can be converted into heat, electricity and even matter, giving the caster powers beyond imagination. ' '''Magic exists everywhere and is practically infinite, much like light. However, it is not infinite in the sense that you can cast infinite spells: The wielder of magic can only use so much, so in that sense it is a finite, but regenerating source. Mages, Wizards, Sorcerers are what those who can use and wield magic are called. Not everyone are mages, though. Only those with the correct genes can “use” magic, something which will be discussed in detail further down. This special gene is why not many people are mages and also why it’s more common for a mage to breed another mage, than for a regular human. But that is not to say it’s impossible for a mage to appear seemingly out of nowhere. ' 'There are two forms of the gene. The first, the most common one, is the one usually born within mages, which allows them to cast spells. It is however very uncontrollable and chaotic at first, which may startle or scare people who do not have such powers. This is why schools of magics are made: To teach new mages how to control their power or, contrarily, how to suppress them, if they so wish. The other form is a very rare strain of the gene, in which the gene lies dormant most of the mage’s life, but can be awakened, even by harsh training and deliberate attempt, or due to a very powerful emotional episode experienced by the carrier of the gene. Even though this gene is usually discovered through the second method, as it is impossible to detect who has it, when it is awakened it is much more powerful. Some of the strongest mages in history were often wielders of the second gene, as it allows the caster to use their emotions to channel even stronger magical power. This form of magic, however, is also much more potent and chaotic, often resulting in collateral damage if the mage cannot control his emotions or powers. ' 'For a mage, magic works much like another sense: They can feel the magical power around them like how people see or smell things, and manipulate it like how other people move their muscles. The process of manipulating magic comes from how magical energy works: Mages have the unique ability to not only see and feel magic, but also to change the energy, which is described above. Mages are able to take the magic that exists in the world and transform into what the mage desires, like transforming it into thermal and kinetic energy, creating a fireball. Such a process, of transforming raw magical energy into something else, is called a spell. Spells are often how the mages keep track on the different forms of manipulation, as it requires thought and experience to learn how exactly it needs to be changed to create the desired effect. There are no theoretical number of spells that a mage is able to cast, but currently, the ones who are in use are fairly limited, as it requires immense knowledge on the magical arts to create a completely new spell. In the more early days, where magic wasn’t understood as well, some spells often resulted in damaging the mage itself, either because the spell was defect or because it simply unleashed the power from hurtful places. Countless stories have been told of reckless mages trying to cast a fireball, but instead unleashed fire from their eyes, killing them in the process. Magic is still a dangerous power, which is why the use of Blaze Rods was developed. As a mage channels a spell, they need an output for the source of power the unleash. In the old days, this was usually from their hands or other parts of their body as they saw fit, but those techniques were often unreliable, as shown above. The Blaze Rods allow the mage to unleash the magical power from there, thus creating a reliable and safe way for the mage to cast spells. Initially regular sticks were used, but other types of mediums were found to be more effective at channeling magic, and when Blaze Rods were discovered, it was found to be the most effective and nothing has thus far proven to be better. Usually, the first thing a mage learns is to control his or her magic and channeling it through the Blaze Rod. Managing and controlling magical power is the first step to becoming a mage, and something everyone has gone through. After a mage has learned to control his or her magical powers and learned to channel it properly, they often learn their first spells. They are often simple to cast and are learned from a trainer. The process of learning spells is fairly simple. A trainer shows off how it’s done and the student repeats the spell until it has been learned properly. This process of learning how to cast new spells are often hard and can take a long time to master, since it’s a matter of focusing the magical power in a completely way and change the state of the magic in ways the caster hasn’t done before. Repeating a spell and casting it over and over again, will improve it, as the caster learns how the spell is formed and created. One has to be careful of not casting spells that are too advanced or straining on the mind, as things will start to go wrong if they attempt spells that are beyond them. To better grasp the concept behind this, mages have developed the idea of mana. ' '''Mana is what mages refer to as your magical potential. It is essentially how much magic you are able to transform at once. As you train, your mana pool increases and you are able to cast more complex spells, as your ability to manipulate the required mana becomes available. Mana regenerates slowly if the mage does not cast any spells and it can be regenerated even faster with mana potions, flasks filled with magic and mind clearing substances. In short, the amount of mana you can use ties directly with how much your mind can handle the stress of casting spells. Magic causes a huge strain on the mind, as it is a complex task that requires much focus. As you train, your mind will also be able to cast more complicated spells, and you will not tire out as quickly. Running out of mana also links to how much stress your brain is under, and here is where trying to cast magic while your mana pool is low gets dangerous. Trying to cast a spell that you do not have the ability to cast will not only fail but is also a huge burden on your body and you will instantly lose all your mana and also feel weakened and exhausted. Trying to do the same while you are already out of mana can cause major physical damage and even death, depending on the severity of the spell in question. The same can be said with trying to cast too many spells in rapid succession, even spells that are fairly simple. If you try to cast any spell, complex or not, it will also fail to cast and cause a pain in your head, the effect increasing based on how complicated the spell is or how much mana it costs to cast. Continually trying to cast spells on low mana will slowly make you more exhausted and injure you, resulting in death in the end. Many foolhardy and power hungry mages have perished this way. Magic is an astonishing and remarkable power that enables humanity to create things beyond wonder, but it can also be dangerous if used recklessly or thoughtlessly and disastrous if used in the wrong hands...